How anti-drug inspections led to 737 depressurisation and diversion
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27th April 2021
While all oxygen masks deployed, two rows of passengers damaged the devices and had to be moved to different seats during the emergency
An Avior Airlines Boeing 737 experienced a sudden depressurisation after loose material in the tail of the aircraft blocked outflow valves, an investigation by Peru’s Ministry of Transport and Communications has found.
Avior Airlines currently holds a fleet comprising 11 Boeing 737s.
Wikimedia Commons/Eric Salard
The jet – which was flying Flight 1521 between Lima/Jorge Chávez and Caracas/Simón Bolívar – suffered a loss of cabin pressure while en route at 33,000ft. In coordination with air traffic control, an emergency descent was initiated to 19,000ft, which was the minimum safe altitude over the Andes mountains.